Electric furnace



June 1927' H. emnmss ELECTRIC FURNACE Filed March 1926 Patented June 14, 1927.

LAWSON H. GIDDINGS, OF PASADENA, CALIFORNIA.

ELECTRIC FURNACE.

Application fil ed March 15, 1926.

This invention relates to electric furnaces, and refers particularly to a furnace for use in cremation ,of bodies. r

An object of the present invention is to ,5 proyide practical electrical heating furnace which is adapted to operate at high temperatures in the presence of an oxidizi e gas" More particularly, the object of the prescut invention is to provide an electric furnace which is adapted for cremation purp se A feature of the present invention resides in the employment of a novel means for passing air or other gas over the ends of electric resistance rods of the furnace, whereby both to heat such air or gas and to maintain the terminals of the rods cool.

I The present invention also provides a means by, which all of the air and gas or substantially all of the air and gas is caused to be positiyely directed against or across theelectrioal heating elements in finding its way into the furnace, together with means by which the heated air or gas is caused to be positively directed against the object to be heated,

Various further objects, advantages and features of the present invention will be understood from thefollowing description of a preferred form or example of a furnace embodying the invention, For this purpose, reference is made to the accompanying drawings in wh ch a type of fura nace is illustrated particularly adapted for the cremation of bodies.

111 the drawings:

Figurel is an elevation in section of the furnace,

Figure 2 is a section .on line 22 of Figure 1, and,

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectiona-l view of the resistor rods employed for heating the furnace.

Referring to the drawings, the furnace consists of structure of bricks or other tire and heat resisting material having a top wall 2 and side walls 3 of sutlicient thickness to serve to retain the heat in the furnace. Within the furnace and preferably extend- Serial No. 94,759.

ing therethrough from end to .end, is a chamber or retort 4: for the reception of the object to be heated. The retort chamber is provided at its front and rear ends respec tively with doors 5 and ,6, whichare pro vided with suitable means so they can be opened, as desired. The retort chamber 4 is provided with a floor 7 which is preferably aslant upwardly from the front to the rear cnd of the retort chamber. At the rear of the retort chamber, there is provided an exit fine 8 for the gases from the chamber 4, said flue preferably extending downwardly as indicated in Figure 1. The floor 7 of the retort chamber is preferably provided with a central trough 9 for collection of ashes and with two side troughs 10 and 11 which operate when the furnace is employed for cremation purposes to collect the metal from the handles of the casket, 70 At the front end of the retort chamber, there is a narrow longitudinal opening 12 in the floor 7, at the bottom of the central trough 9, which opening 12 establishes com munication between the forward part of the retort chamber 4: and a lower chamber 13 in which are disposed the heating elements or resistor rods of the furnace Said lower chamber 13 is formed by two longitudinal side walls 14 and 15, together with the rear end wall 16 and forward end wall 17. The bottom of the lower chamber is preferably provided with a perforated floor 18 below which there is a passage 19 leading to the front end of the furnace, as shown at '20.

Along the top portion of the gas heating chamber 13 there is supported a t 21 below the longitudinal opening 12 to receive the ashes, said tray 21 being of narrower width than the width of the chamber 13 and being supported by the cross members 22,

The lower portion of the heating chamber 13 is provided with electrical resistor rods 23 which are indicated as preferably disposed in two vertically spaced apart rows, 9 each row extending throughout the length of the heating chamber 13. These resistor rods 23 are indicated as proyided with connecting rods 2% extending through the side walls 14 and of the heating chamber 13. 1

These connecting rods should be of a material adapted to withstand considerable heat and may, for example, be formed of chromium steel. The side walls 14 and 15 are provided with openings 25 of substantially larger diameter than the diameter of the connecting rods 24 so that said openings may accommodate protecting tubes 26 while still leaving an annular opening 27 between the connector rods 24; and said tubes 26 whereby air or other gases may be passed into the lire chamber 13 longitudinally through said openings 27 along the connector rods 24 and across the ends of the resistor rods 23. By

this construction, the resistor rods 23 andtheir connecting rods 24. are merely suspended within the openings in the side walls 14; and 15 and within the chamber 13. In order to provide for such suspension. I provide spring butt end terminal members 28 at the end of each resistor and its connecting rods, which terminals in turn are secured to castings 29 properly mounted on or attached to the side walls 14 and 15, being preferably spaced therefrom by insulation 30. 31 indicates a receptacle into which the ashes from the tray 21 may be raked.

In operation, the object to be heated is placed on the floor 7 of the retort chamber 4:. For example, when the furnace is employed in cremation purposes, the casket carrying the body is placed in the retort chamber by removing the rear end door 6. Thereupon current is supplied to the resistor rods 23 to heat air or other gases which are caused to flow into the heating chamber 13 across the ends of the resistor rods 23 accomplishing a very important result in preventing the ends of such resistor rods from being burned out, at the same time, supplying gas for the furnace. If desired, all of the gas or air for the furnace may be supplied through these openings leading along the ends of the resistor rods 23. At other times, it may be preferable to admit or force further air through the opening 20 and passage 19 up transversely across the resistor rods 23. The gas supplied to the furnace may be entirely pure air, in which case it will have the most efficient oxidizing action, or at other times, it may be preferable to admit into part of the furnace, flue gas having a lower oxidizing content, the character of gases being widely variable. The gases heated within the heating chamber 13 passes upwardly through the longitudinal slot 12, thereby being positively directed against the casket or other object placed directly thereover, so that the heat of these gases is most efiiciently laced upon the object. At the rear end 0 the retort chamber, further air may be admitted to complete the combustion, although this is not entirely essential to the operation of the furnace.

It is understood that I do not limit the present invention to the particular construction shown in the drawings for the purpose of illustrating the invention, nor necessarily in all of the claims to its use as a cremation furnace, but the invention includes all such changes in construction as may he made without departing from the spirit of the invention. and the invention is of the scope set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a furnace of the class described, a furnace chamber, a plurality of electrical resistor rods for heating gases for said cham ber, means for passing said gases endwise along the terminal ends of said resistor rods as they How to said furnace chamber, and means for directing the gases which pass into said furnace chamber against the object to be heated.

2. In a furnace of the class described, a furnace chamber, a floor for said chamber, a heated chamber below said floor, said floor being provided with a narrow longitudinal opening connecting the furnace chamber and heating chamber, electrical resistor rods in said heating chamber, and means for passing gases longitudinally inwardly along the ends of the resistor rods in entering said heating chamber.

In a furnace of the class described, a furnace chamber, a floor for said chamber, a heating chamber below said floor, said floor being provided with a narrow longitudinal opening connecting the furnace chamber and heating chamber, electrical resistor rods in said heating chamber, means for passing gases longitudinally inwardly along the ends of the resistor rods in entering said heating chamber, and means for passing other gases upwardly transverse to said resistor rods in entering said heating chamber.

4. In means of the class described, a chamber provided with a plurality of resistor rods, side walls for said chamber having openings through which said resistor rods extend, the openings providing an annular space around the ends of said resistor rods for the passage of gas into said chamber.

5. In means of the class described, a chamber provided with a plurality of resistor rods, side walls for said chamber having openings through which said resistor rods extend, the openings providing an annular space around the ends of said resistor rods for the passage of gas into said chamber, a perforated floor for said chamber, and means for passing gases through said perforated floor and transverse to said resistor rods in entering said chamber.

6. A crematory furnace comprising a retort chamber, an ash collecting trough in the floor of said chamber, an opening in the lower end of said trough, a collecting tray below said trough, means for passing heated gases upwardly through said. opening for said chamber, and electrical resistors "for heatingsaicl gases.

7. A Crematory furnace comprising a furnace chamber, an ash collecting trough in the floor of said chamber, an opening through said trough, a collecting tray therebelow, a plurality of electrical resisting rods,

means for passing gases euclwise toward the center of said rods, and a chamber through which said gases may flow to said retort 1O chamber.

Signed at Los Angeles, California this 5 day of March, 1926.

LAlVSON I-I. GIDDINGS. 

